1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of spouts and particularly to a drip controlling spout.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, spouts, and particularly spouts on teapots, have been offered with varying configurations for the purposes of avoiding dripping of liquids from the spout after the use thereof. Examples of such spouts include, among others, those having upwardly oriented openings often with an exaggerated lip at the end thereof, Such lips sometimes have a forked configuration at the end.
These spouts with upwardly oriented openings have been available in circular cross section, as well as other cross sectional configurations, such as for example, square, oval, and the like. Still other spouts are formed with a curved neck, so that the spout opening has a downwardly oriented configuration. These spouts also have varying cross sections of the spout with a corresponding opening. However, they all share the commonality of the lower edge projecting below the upper edge.
Many such spouts have a throat or curved neck with the opening at varying angles, ranging from the horizontal to directly downwardly. Frequently, the upper rim of the spout opening is slightly offset with respect to the projecting lower edge which is often slightly extended to form a lip.
In addition to the above types of spouts, there are also curved spouts having a downwardly oriented opening wherein the spout is simply truncated in its downwardly projected path. In this instance, the rim of the upper and lower edge terminate at the same level, so that neither edge can be said to project below the other.
All of the foregoing spouts that have been described above suffer from the drawback of permitting liquids flowing therethrough to drip down the neck of the spout. This is due to the fact that the liquid flowing therethrough flows by gravity to the lowest point on the spout when pouring liquids therethrough.
For example, a teapot is generally lifted with the hand to pour a liquid and at the termination of the pouring is placed on a flat surface. The liquid remaining in the spout at the point when the pot is returned to a flat surface, is divided at the throat, so that a portion of it flows forward and a portion of it flows backwardly into the pot. The portion flowing forwardly usually amounting to only a few drops, flows according to gravity to the lowest point, which in the above described spout designs, is the upper edge of the spout. After several such pourings, the amount dribbling adds up to an annoying situation.
In the case of the downwardly oriented spouts with the horizontal openings, the drops of fluid at the end of a pouring will fall off any and all parts of the spout rim, but particularly that of the throat due to gravitational pull.
As an aside, once the dribble starts down the neck of the spout, the other droplets will follow due to the lower surface tension at the spout neck, as opposed to that required for a droplet to form and drop from the spout rim.
Until the present time, there has been no satisfactory spout which overcame the problem of dribbles down the neck of the spout. Naturally, such a spout would be useful, not only for teapots and the like, but also for water faucets and related spouts. The reason for this is that it is desirable for water coming through a water spout to fall into the basin, rather than down the neck of the spout onto the spout fixture, which eventually causes corrosion of the water faucet.